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Jubilee Ministry grants awarded for programs and mission work

[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] Samuel McDonald, Director of Mission and Deputy Chief Operating Officer, has announced 14 recipients of the Episcopal Church Jubilee Grants totaling $49,965 to support mission and ministry in 11 dioceses.

Jubilee Ministries are congregations or agencies with connections to the Episcopal Church, designated by diocesan bishops and affirmed by Executive Council, whose mission work affects the lives of those in need, addressing basic human needs and justice issues.

Grants were awarded in two categories: Impact and Development.

One Development Grant for $32,200 was awarded to a Jubilee ministry that has demonstrated a new or re-visioned strategy and methodology to make an impact both locally and beyond itself.

• Diocese of West Virginia: St. John’s House Learning and Development Center – St. John’s House of Learning and Development Center, Huntington, Diocese of West Virginia. The Center has counteracted addiction, violence, incarceration and poverty for over 20 years. St. John’s House Learning and Development Center strives to break the cycle of poverty afflicting their region, strengthening every child’s self-esteem, self-confidence, interpersonal skills, and attitudes toward education. The Grant will enable the implementation of a new vision and mission strategy in several areas of their programs.

Thirteen Impact Grants ranging from $855 – $1,500 each were awarded to initiatives of Jubilee Centers that make a positive and measurable impact in the lives of those in need.

• Diocese of Arizona: Naco Wellness Initiative – For the development and support of a sustainable, healthy, and reliable food stream, based on small-scale agricultural education and community gardens. $1,500
• Diocese of Colorado: 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center – To provide an internship to a local high school student, who will tutor and mentor younger students in the Center’s after-school program. $960
• Diocese of Colorado: Broomfield Farmers’ Market at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church – To provide healthy, affordable produce to low-income families, and to establish a meeting place for farmers and their customers. $1,250
• Diocese of Colorado: Trinity Episcopal Church – To provide books to the Kaleidoscope Youth Program, a ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church dedicated to the uplift of their community. $855
• Diocese of Kansas: Episcopal Social Services, Inc. – To provide a chaplain’s stipend in order to network with Episcopal and other parishes in the diocese, establish volunteer opportunities, and incorporate more religious leaders in daily activities. $1,500
• Diocese of Lexington: Reading Camp – To purchase learning center materials for 3rd through 5th graders struggling to read at grade level. $1,500
• Diocese of New Jersey: Vacation Music Academy – To cover tuition for local students, continuing the Academy’s ministry in music, art and theater. $1,500
• Diocese of Northern Indiana: Camp New Happenings – To support room and board, transportation, and arts and crafts at camp for children of incarcerated persons. $1,500
• Diocese of Olympia: St. David of Wales’ Episcopal Church: Community Lifeline – For the development of an educational program, How to Be a Good Tenant 101, focused on developing self-sufficiency and life skills for the formerly homeless. $1,500
• Diocese of Southwest Florida: Cornerstone Kids, Inc. – To provide books for the Read for Success KidzLit Program, designed for children in after-school settings. $1,500
• Diocese of Spokane: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Coeur d’Alene – To refurbish used bicycles for donation to homeless, recently paroled, and/or low-income men and women in Kootenai County. $1,500
• Diocese of Spokane: The GOAL Project – To offer a 10-week summer program focused on creative play and interactive learning, in order to combat summer learning loss. $1,500
• Diocese of Western Louisiana: Holy Cross Episcopal Church – To provide health education and healthcare, via the parish’s mobile medical van, to those in the community lacking access to services. $1,200

A seven- member committee with representatives from throughout the church reviewed 67 applications for grants.